tmedlin: blog 
tmedlin's blog
a great big salute to this family
Published Dec. 3, 2008
Father and son receive simultaneous Silver Stars
By KRISTIN M. HALL
The Associated Press
Friday, November 28, 2008; 3:09 PM
FORT CAMPBELL, Ky. -- Jonathan Harris, a Blackhawk pilot who withstood enemy fire to save a wounded crewmember in Afghanistan, was awarded a Silver Star on Friday. Not to be outdone, his 60-year-old father was awarded a Silver Star and a Bronze Star in a simultaneous ceremony honoring his bravery in Vietnam.
The two generations watched each other through a video teleconference between Fort Campbell, where the elder Gary Harris was honored, and Bagram Air Base in Afghanistan, where Jonathan is completing a tour.
Maj. Gen. Jeffrey Schloesser, top commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan, told retired Staff Sgt. Gary Harris via video that he hoped the special ceremonies repaid the Army's failure to give him an official ceremony nearly 40 years ago.
Gary Harris, of Corbin, Ky., originally received his medals in the mail. He was officially pinned with a Silver Star by the deputy commanding general-rear for the 101st Airborne Division for gallantry in action against an armed hostile force in Vietnam. He also received a Bronze Star for meritorious achievement during his time in Vietnam.
According to the Army, the elder Harris was serving as a squad leader in August 1969 with a company near Go Rieng that came under intense mortar and rocket fire. He held off attackers and got his wounded fellow soldiers safely aboard a medical helicopter.
The younger Harris, 35, was given the award for exceptional gallantry against enemy forces in July, when his helicopter was struck by rocket-propelled grenades and anti-aircraft artillery near the Afghan city of Gardez.
According to the Army, three soldiers' lives were saved when Harris, who holds the rank of chief warrant officer 2, killed an insurgent and dragged his wounded crew chief to safety.
"I'm kinda jealous, Dad; you've got two medals and I've only got one," the younger Harris joked after receiving his medals at Bagram.
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GOLO member since October 24, 2007
December 4, 2008 9:20 a.m.
GOLO member since December 15, 2007
December 3, 2008 8:41 p.m.
GOLO member since August 23, 2007
December 3, 2008 7:44 p.m.
GOLO member since February 2, 2008
December 3, 2008 6:22 p.m.
God bless.
Rev. RB
GOLO member since July 2, 2007
December 3, 2008 5:36 p.m.
God bless both of these men and the rest of the unsong heroes who serve and have served this country so sorry axe do-nothings can whine.
Thanks for the book tips Historian and Gandalf - I will be ordering from Amazon soon and will put this on my wish list so I don't forget it.
Gandalf- you have explained a lot about yourself, I applaud who and what you are and thank you for your service to this country.
Jimmy - you should be very proud. People like your Uncle, Gandalf and these men are the REAL heroes of Amercia!
GOLO member since November 11, 2008
December 3, 2008 5:01 p.m.
"By Keith Bickerstaff (Paducah Ky)
The wolf has known me since I was born at Ft Campbell Ky,I am honored to call him a friend. He and my father were in the Army together,his book is an eye opener for those of us who had fathers fighting in the war.I would highly reccomend this book to anyone who would like an accurate assesment of the Vietnam war." ____________________________________________________
Ted actually gave Keith his nickname, "Little Wolf."
http://www.amazon.com/review/product/0811732908/ref=cm_cr_dp_synop?_encoding=UTF8&showViewpoints=0&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending#R1K0769HQH9U9T
GOLO member since March 14, 2008
December 3, 2008 4:54 p.m.
GOLO member since November 13, 2008
December 3, 2008 4:46 p.m.
I was unlucky enough to participate in the battle of Dakto as a member of the 4th Infantry Division, units of which fought in the jungles there during this period. As Command Sergeant Major Arthurs so eloquently covers, it was not a very pleasant place to be. In the years since Dakto I have become somewhat of a military history buff and, as such, I have become even more familiar with this epic battle. I might warn you that this book is down and dirty. It deals with american paratroopers fighting a tenacious, tough and skilled enemy in the most difficult terrain in Vietnam. Your'e not going to read about high ranking officers doing map studies and discussing tactics. I have visited the Dakto battlefield since the war and saw one more telling monument to the skill and bravery of the Americans who fought there.
GOLO member since November 13, 2008
December 3, 2008 4:46 p.m.
great story!
GOLO member since July 5, 2007
December 3, 2008 4:44 p.m.
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